The £104m impact of French air-traffic control strikes revealed

Business & FinanceEnvironment
12 Jul 2025 • 3:16 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • A two-day strike by French air-traffic controllers on July 3 and 4 impacted one million airline passengers, resulting in nearly 3,000 flight cancellations and over 7,400 delays across Europe, costing the aviation industry an estimated €120m (£104m), Eurocontrol has said.
  • Spain experienced the most significant delays, with Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona airports being the worst affected, and Ryanair cancelling the highest number of flights (718).
  • The union, ICNA, attributed the strike to "glaring staff shortages" and "toxic management", leading to widespread disruption that extended far beyond France.
  • The industrial action caused a substantial environmental impact, with an additional 3.75 million miles flown, burning 18,000 tons of fuel and generating 60,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
  • Ryanair's CEO, Michael O’Leary, urged the European Commission to implement measures protecting overflights during national air-traffic control strikes to prevent similar future disruptions.

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